Happily Ever AfterOr Not
by CD2698
Summary: Robin crosses the town line, leaving Regina behind. Discover what happens during their time apart. Will the town line be safe once more? Will the two lovers be able to reunite? Or will something dark and sinister stand in their way?
1. Chapter 1

_Regina's POV_

Regina stared down at the small white object in her hand. A plus sign formed in the small screen at the tip. A tear slid down her cheek as she threw the pregnancy test into the trash, wiping the tear from her eye. She calmly walked back out into the Charming's loft where Mary Margaret and Emma were waiting.

Mary Margaret jumped to her feet. "Well? What did it say?"

Regina's hear beat wildly as she answered:

"Positive."

Mary Margaret smiled and pulled her into a hug, a hug which Regina couldn't push herself to return. Emma smiled sadly at her from a chair.

"Regina, this is wonderful!" Mary Margaret beamed at her.

Regina snorted. "Wonderful."

_Robin's POV_

Robin tried to smile as Marian talked to him. He'd tried his best ever since they had left Storybrooke to be everything his family needed, but his mind could only focus on one thing: Regina.

It felt like only seconds ago he had kissed her goodbye for the last time. Like only seconds ago her hand had left his as he crossed the town line with Marian and Roland. It had been six weeks since that heart-wrenching goodbye.

"Robin!"

He snapped back into reality. Marian stared at him with a playful smile on her lips, all the while tending to their boy.

"Lost in thought, are we?" she teased.

Robin cleared his throat. "Just enjoying the peacefulness of the forest. What were you saying?"

"Robin, don't for a second think I believe you when you say that. I know who you're thinking about."

His eyes dropped. "I'm sorry."

Marian looked at him with surprise. "What are you apologizing for?"

"I chose to come here with you, and I'm not honoring that commitment if I'm always thinking about Regina and…"

Marian grabbed his hand. "Robin, if I could have tried to change her mind, you would have stayed with her. You love her!"

"But…"

Marian's kind eyes looked into his. "Robin, it may only seem like days since we've been apart for me, but for you, it's been years. Your heart has moved on and I'm happy for that! I wouldn't ever want you to think you could never be happy again."

Robin turned his gaze to the forest. As if on cue, an image of his love began to emerge in his vision. She stood across from his, handing him a black leather satchel. Inside laid a heart. Her heart.

"Will you hold to this for a bit longer?"

"You would trust something so valuable to a common thief like me?"

"You can't steal something that's been given to you."

_Regina's POV_

Regina laid in her bed, her head pounding. She'd been throwing up ever since she'd gotten out of bed. She stared at the ceiling, wondering what everybody would think once they learned the truth. That she'd slept with a married man and was now expecting his child…and he would never know.

Tears began to flow down her face in silent streams. Regina ached to see him, to feel his strong, warm embrace surround her. To feel his soft, gentle lips upon her own. Another bout of nausea sent her scrambling to the bathroom.

A gentle tap came at the door. She peered up to see Henry. Regina quickly jumped to her feet, trying to cover up the mess as best as she could.

"Henry!" she cried. "I'm so sorry, I forgot you were coming over!"

"Mom, are you okay?"

Regina debated telling him the truth. What would he think? She hadn't even told him about that night in the vault. Not that he really needed to know.

She smiled. "I'm fine, just a little stomach bug is all. Why don't you go downstairs and I'll make you breakfast when I'm dressed?"

Henry took in his mother skeptically. Regina could tell he was trying to process her answer as true or false. He gave his head a slight shake.

"Okay, Mom."

_Robin's POV_

Robin poked the fire for the millionth time. Marian had gone to sleep hours ago, but he couldn't find the strength to lay down beside her and sleep. He barely had the strength to be with her while he was awake. But he needed to be strong…for his boy…for Marian.

The wind picked up, causing him to shiver. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself and threw more wood onto the fire. A shadow fell across him and Robin grabbed his bow, turning swiftly to face the shadow's owner. There was no one there.

He lowered the bow slightly, but the moment after he wished he hadn't. Behind him, the blazing fire went out, like when you blow out the small, delicate flame of a candle. Darkness surrounded him. The last thing he saw was the gleam of the moon before he fell asleep.

_Regina's POV_

Regina could barely keep her eyes open as she sat in the sheriff's station waiting for Emma and David to arrive. A phone call that morning had come requesting her help in a mysterious case involving the town line.

She picked up an old newspaper from Emma's desk. The title had begun to fade but Regina could make it out: _Emma Swam Elected Sheriff of Storybrooke_. She set the newspaper back on the desk wishing she hadn't picked it up in the first place. Tense fingers ran through hastily brushed hair.

"Regina. Good, you're already here."

Regina raised a wary eyebrow. "Town line?"

Like father like daughter, both Emma and David crossed their arms as they prepared to clue her in to the case. Emma spoke first.

"The dwarves were doing their usual inspection of the town line when they noticed that there were tiny holes starting to form in Ingrid's spell."

Regina jumped, standing a little straighter. If the spell was starting to dissolve, that could mean…she could try and find him! David interrupted her thoughts.

"We're not one hundred percent sure if it's going to fade all the way.

_Dream crusher_, she thought.

Emma shifted. "And besides that, I can sense stronger dark magic at the town line, in several different spots."

Regina smirked. "Rumple's back."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Robin's POV**_

Robin's head pounded. He reached up, rubbing his temples in hope that the pain would subside with his touch. He squinted at his surroundings. He was still in the forest, but it was not the campsite he had been in only hours before.

A green sign caught his attention: _Welcome to Storybrooke!_ Storybrooke? How had he gotten here? The events of last night were foggy, jumbled blurs and broken pieces. Robin tried pulling at the ropes surrounding his upper body and torso. He had to get back to his family.

He stopped when he heard a small whimper come from behind him. He listened intently, trying to make sure his ears weren't playing tricks on him. When the sound came again, Robin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Roland? Boy, is that you?"

"Papa! I'm scared! I can't see you!"

Robin pulled harder as the ropes. His boy needed him. His wife needed him.

"Don't worry, boy! I'll get you!"

"I doubt that very much."

Robin froze in terror at the new voice. Well, new to the conversation. The voice was old to him. He looked up slowly, taking in the voice's host: Rumplestiltskin.

"Struggling will do you no good, dearie," he said in a maniacal voice. "The rope is enchanted. The more you struggle, the tighter it gets. Wouldn't want to crush that precious son of yours, now would we?"

A wicked cackle escaped from the tree line. A woman in a large fur coat stepped out, a lit cigarette holder in her hand and a cruel smile on her lips.

"You're positive this is the one?" she asked in a thick, lilting voice.

"You doubt me? Yes, I'm positive. I was with her when they said goodbye."

A third figure emerged from the shadows. Green tentacles flowed towards Robin's face. He tried to pull away but with no success; the enchanted rope held him in place as the slimy things touched him.

"Why on earth would she let us into this town in exchange for him?"

It wasn't Rumplestiltskin who answered. Robin knew this voice as well – Maleficent.

"Because he is one of the two things she truly loves. She would do anything to get him back…Rumple has assure me of that."

Regina! They were going to take him to Regina! But that wasn't possible. The spell guarding Storybrooke's town line forbid anyone who left Storybrooke to ever come back.

Unless these four had found a way to remove it.

_**Regina's POV**_

Regina paced back and forth in front of the town line. She occasionally stuck her hand through a hole in the spell guarding it, trying to find out what was causing it to collapse. She could practically taste the dark magic emanating from the other side. But it wasn't just Rumple's magic she could sense. She walked back over to Emma, David, Mary Margaret, and Hook, who she had yet to connect to the problem.

"Emma was right when she said she could sense dark magic, but it isn't just Gold's magic."

David crossed his arms. "What do you mean 'it isn't just Gold'?"

Regina rolled her eyes in frustration. "I mean that there are two other sources of dark magic helping him remove Ingrid's spell."

Mary Margaret eyes flashed concern. "Who else could be helping him?"

Regina walked back over to the spray painted line. She closed her eyes, trying her best to concentrate. Her fingers twitched at her side despite her best efforts to still them. Her eye flew open as she pinpointed a magic familiar to her.

"Maleficent."

Hook laughed in disbelief. "That's not possible. She's dead. Both Emma and I have killed her."

"Emma killed her while we were still under the curse. Before she kissed Henry. Maleficent's body may not have survived, but her soul would have. All Gold would have to do is find her soul a new body to inhabit, whether by replacing someone else's with hers, or by creating her a new body."

Emma walked up beside her. "And the other person?"

Regina shifted. "I have no idea. Whoever they are, the obviously want the same thing Rumple does."

Emma gazed at the empty road. "Revenge."

_**Robin's POV**_

Robin's body had begun to grow stiff from sitting in the same position for hours upon end. He could occasionally Roland's soft crying from the other side of the tree or the voices of his four captors. One he had yet to hear was Marion's.

"Roland, where's your mother?"

"I don't know, Papa," the boy answered. "All I remember is waking up tied to a tree by myself."

Robin tried not to worry. Maybe they were just holding her somewhere else to make sure he would cooperate with their plans.

"Rumplestiltskin!"

The imp appeared in a whirlwind of crimson smoke, an agitated expression on his face, like Robin was interrupting something of the utmost importance.

"What do you want?"

Robin breathed heavily. "Where is my wife?"

Rumplestiltskin smiled. "Who?"

"My wife! Where is my wife? What have you done to Marian!?"

"Ah, her. Yes, I think I have the answer to your question. Are you sure you really want to hear it?"

Robin stared at him.

Rumple smiled devilishly. "I'll take that as a yes. You see, Maleficent was brought over when Regina first cast the curse, but in her true form…or part of it. She was banished to the caverns beneath the library where Regina thought no one would ever bother to look for her. And no one did. Until she and Emma needed a way to break the curse so Henry could live. Emma killed Maleficent's body, but her soul still lingered in the cave. She was set free from the caverns when that idiot one-handed pirate went down there to trick Regina."

Robin huffed in annoyance. "What has any of this got to do with my wife?"

Rumple rolled his eyes. "If you'd let me finish…She was set free, but she didn't have a body. She's been roaming around Storybrooke since then. I needed her to help me remove the snow queen's curse from the town line, therefore requiring me to find her a new body."

Tears began to slide down Robin's cheeks. This animal had killed his wife and replaced her soul with that wicked sorceresses'.

"Why doesn't she look like Marian?"

"There are many spells to transform the look of one's body."

With that he disappeared in the same cloud of smoke that he had arrived in. Robin couldn't contain himself anymore. He screamed into the empty forest, his voice bouncing off the trees. Roland began to cry in fear behind him. But Robin no longer cared. Marian was dead. And now they were going to kill Regina as well.

Regina…an idea hit him. He whistled into the tree tops. He had to hurry if he was going to warn her in enough time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Regina's POV**

Emma's coffee was beginning to make her nauseous. Which she was quite mad about, because she usually enjoyed the scent of coffee. The smell was beginning to overpower her and she nearly threw up in front of them all. David grabbed her arm, steadying her when she began to wobble.

"Regina, are you okay?" he asked, concern written on his features. She shook her head.

"I'm fine, David," she said, yanking her arm from his grasp.

Emma smiled sheepishly as she dumped the rest of her coffee into the grass, earning looks of confusion from her father and her one-handed lover. "Bad brew."

"But you said earlier-" Hook began before Emma cut him off.

"Well, I wasn't going to tell Granny to her face that her coffee sucked. Do I look like I have a death wish?"

The two men just shook their heads. Women. Regina walked back over to the neon orange line. Six weeks since she had last stood here, bidding her soulmate farewell. She wondered where he was and what he was doing.

-0-

**Robin's POV**

He was still crying. Even as he hastily scribbled his nearly unintelligible letter, written on a piece of torn fabric with dirt, he continued to let the hot drops fall down his cheeks and nose, dripping off onto the forest floor below.

Robin could hear Roland humming to himself, and he was glad his boy had finally been able to calm down. Hearing one's father scream insanities at the trees would upset just about anyone. He felt bad for scaring Roland, but he in no way regretted his actions.

A dove was sitting patiently at his feet, awaiting the letter it was to deliver to the man's soulmate. Robin quickly inspected his work then gave it to the pristine white bird.

"Take this and find the queen," he instructed. "Make sure you only give it to the queen!"

The bird seemed to nod before it took off, flying above the trees and out of sight. Robin leaned back against the tree and prayed to God she would get that letter. If she didn't, they'd all die.

-0-

**Regina's POV**

She sat in the woods, alone. She sat on the very log where she'd shown him Rumple's letter to her mother, Zelena's proof that they were indeed sisters. Now she sat there reading his letter to her.

When the small dove had appeared at the town line with the message in its beak, Emma had tried to take it. But the bird refused to give it to her. After several more tries from both Emma and Mary Margaret (who apparently talked to birds), Hook suggested that Regina try and retrieve it. Maybe the pirate was good from something after all.

She'd transported herself here as soon as she'd finished reading his blunt and to-the-point letter, not caring if she left the others to panic and worry about where she'd gone and what he'd said to make her so upset.

A hand to her shoulder caused her to startle, drawing her from her thoughts. She stood and whirled around to see Emma standing there, her expression mixture of anger, confusion, and worry.

"Regina, why the hell did you take off like that?" the blonde questioned, crossing her arms in true Charming fashion.

Regina's eyes fell to the forest floor as she handed Emma the sloppy, crude letter. Emma took it and read it out loud.

"Regina, Marian is dead. Gold used her body to revive Maleficent. Going to use me as bargain to enter town. Stay away! He will kill you! Robin."

Emma looked up at Regina briefly before squinting at the letter again. "Did he write this with dirt?"

"Emma, that's not the point here!" Regina screamed. "Gold has Robin, and most likely Roland, too. If I don't agree to his deal, he _will_ kill them!"

Emma stared at her for a few moments before smiling. "We need a plan. And I know just the kid to help us."


	4. Chapter 4

**Regina's POV**

The second letter was written on fancy paper and with golden ink, sealed with a wax seal and delivered by a raven. She recognized the script as soon as she opened it. Rumplestiltskin.

"What does it say?" Emma asked, a concerned look gracing the sheriff's features.

A tear slid down Regina's cheek. "He wants to make a deal," she said. "Robin and Roland in exchange for passage into Storybrooke."

_He will kill you!_ Robin's words wouldn't get out of her head. _Stay away! Marian is dead. Maleficent._ Regina wanted to scream, to sob, to lose control and break down and give up. The words kept bouncing around in her skull.

"Regina? Regina, are you listening to me?"

She shook her head, not ridding herself of the words but finally quieting them enough so that she could half-concentrate on what Emma was trying to say to her.

"I'm sorry, Emma, I was just thinking. What were you saying?" she asked. She tucked Gold's letter into her coat pocket.

"I was saying that we should use Henry's plan to trick them. We can get Robin and Roland back," Emma said.

"Emma-"

"Regina, you deserve your happy ending. That baby deserves its father." Emma grabbed Regina's hands. "Henry's plan will work. We will save them. We will defeat gold and Maleficent and whoever else is helping him. You will be happy again, with your soulmate, your boys, and your baby."

Regina's eyes darted around nervously. How could it possibly work? Rumple would see right through it. He would kill Robin. He would kill Roland. He would destroy her. He would get into Storybrooke, with or without her help, and when he did, he would stop at nothing until everything she loved was nothing but smoldering ashes.

But suddenly, Snow's words rang out in her head: _Your heart will find it's way to happiness_. Now there were two hearts pining for that happiness. Pining for him. Regina closed her eyes and nodded her head slowly.

"Le...huh, let's do this. I want him back."

-0-

**Robin's POV**

He was going to admit it. Being magically carried through the air-not a fan. He squirmed, a new-found claustrophobia beginning to form in his chest. Roland was beside him, his eyes wide with fear and unshed tears. He wished to be able to wrap his boy in his arms and tell him its was okay But he couldn't. And it wasn't.

"Not much further," he heard Rumplestiltskin say. "If she's not there, we wait until sundown. If she hasn't come by then...kill them."

Four sets of eyes turned to look at Robin. Four sets of cruel, revenge-hungry eyes, all staring at him as if he were prey. Well, technically, he was bait, one he hoped she would be able to resist. He wouldn't let her die for him. Not his sparrow.

"Papa, do you think 'Gina is going to come and save us?" Roland asked, his eyes showing that childish faith Robin had long ago lost.

"No, my boy. She's not."

"We're here."

The party stopped in front of the neon orange line and Robin's worst nightmare became reality. There she stood on the other side, her face stoic and unreadable. The rest of them were there as well: the prince and princess, the pirate, Belle, Henry, Emma...Robin's gaze turned back to Emma. Her lip was trembling, her fingers twitching in a nervous and paranoid manner. He saw Snow White grab her hand, but ultimately failing to capture her daughter's attention. Emma continued to stare at him. Why was she staring at him?

"Regina, glad to see you made the right choice," Rumple said, his lips contorting into an ugly sneer. "Have you considered my deal?"

"Yes," she answered, her eyes fixed on the imp in front of her. "I'll let you in. But you have to release them first." She pointed to Robin and Roland.

Rumple snickered. "Not a chance, dearie. You let us in, then you get your precious soulmate."

"No." Regina stepped forward. "I swear on Henry's life, if I don't uphold my end of the bargain...well, you get the idea." She crossed her arms in a very un-Regina like manner. "Agreed?"

The imp exchanged glances with his cohorts, who all gazed suspiciously at her. Finally, Maleficent nodded her head. Robin felt himself being lowered, then released as his feet touched the ground. He grabbed Roland's hand before turning to look at her. Her eyes held no emotion, yet Emma's were beginning to well with tears, her mouth partially opened.

He felt himself being pushed forward, stopping when he was only on step away from the town line. Regina pointed to the end of the line on her right side.

"There's a hole large enough for you to walk through. They walk through first. Once I'm completely sure it's not a trick, you can come through," she instructed, her arms still crossed.

"Very well," Rumple conceded. The three villainesses turned to whisper amongst themselves.

His heart began to beat faster, thumping in his chest, pounding in his ears as he approached the hole she spoke of. They finally found it. Robin cautiously stuck his arm through, then his shoulder, then his head, then the rest of him, and finally, Roland. It was then that he let go of his son and ran. He ran towards his beautiful soulmate. His arms wrapped around her, his brain finally accepting it: she was real. He leaned in to kiss her only to have her pull back.

"I don't think Emma would like it very much if you kissed me," she said.

This wasn't his love. The crossed arms, the unreadable face, the calm and steady voice-Emma's nervous, twitching fingers, the tears she was now shedding, the love in her eyes.

They'd switched.

-0-

**Regina's POV**

She felt like she was going to burst. He was five feet away, yet she had to remain there, standing still until Emma gave the signal. It broke her to see him run towards her, and yet it wasn't her he was running to. It wasn't until he went for a kiss and Emma stopped him that recognition spread across his features.

She was so caught up with him that she almost missed the faint wave of Emma's fingers-her fingers? As soon as Gold and his minions crossed the town line, they were promptly frozen.

"What are you doing?" Rumple snarled. "We had a deal!"

"And I kept my half. You're over the line," Emma said, now Emma again.

At first he was silent, then he began to laugh. "Clever." He turned his attention to Regina. "Tell me, dearie, just what do you think will happen when this spell wear's off?"

"I have two hours to figure that out. Until then, I'm going to protect my family. All of them."

-0-

**Robin's POV**

She was wrapped in his arms. _Regina_ was wrapped in his arms. They had put Henry and Roland to bed only minutes earlier. Now they sat in the living room, her cuddled up against his side while he sipped a glass of wine. It had taken him a bit by surprise when she'd refused the glass he had offered her.

"Regina, what's wrong?" he asked, brushing that stray piece of hair that always fell in her face away, tucking it behind her ear.

She looked up at him with surprise. "What do you mean?"

He shifted to look at her more directly. "Love, I know you. You never turn down a glass of wine. What's bothering you, sweetheart?"

She paused, looking at him thoughtfully, before she got up and left the room. She returned a few minutes later, a small slip of paper in her hands. She sat back down beside him. Her fingers were twitching again.

"When you left, I lost all hope. I thought...I thought I would never be happy again," she told him. "But then I discovered this."

She handed him the slip of paper. Not paper, he realized. It was a photograph. The grainy black and white image baffled him.

"Regina, I don't understand. What is this a picture of?"

Regina pointed to the white shape in the center of the photograph before drawing his hand to her abdomen. His eyes widened. The image fell from his hand, landing on the wooden floor without a sound.

"A baby?"

There were tears in her eyes as she nodded her head. Her fingers were beginning to twitch faster. She was really nervous. "Are you...are you upset?"

"Why on earth would I ever be about us having a baby?" he asked, pulling her in for a kiss. "Love, I'm thrilled beyond belief." He looked down at her hands. "You're nervous."

He gave him a small, weak smile. "He's going to kill me."

Robin sighed. "Regina-"

"Robin, you know how he is," she began. "He's like the world's most temperamental bull, and I just poked him. He will destroy everything I love."

"No, he won't. And you wanna know why?" he asked, cupping her pale face in his hands. "Because I'm here. I'm never leaving you again. I'm going to protect my family."

It was then that he pulled out the box. He had been planning on giving it to her that night at Granny's, before Marian had showed up. It hadn't left his pocket since. With tears in both sets of eyes, Robin of Locksley finally asked Regina Mills-his True Love, his soulmate-to be his wife.

She said yes.


	5. Chapter 5

He paced the cabin floor. How dare that impudent girl trick him. He had taught her everything she knew. He had eliminated the other woman and brought back her soulmate. And this was how she was repaying him?

"Rumple, you're going to wear a hole in the floor," Maleficent said, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder, stopping his movement. "We need a plan."

"I have a plan," he said through gritted teeth, shrugging her hand off of his arm. "We need to find the author. We need to change the book."

Cruella shifted in her chair, swinging her legs over the chair's arm. "Darling, that plan in futile. Her son has it glued to him."

"And let's not forget, the thief won't let anything near his annoying little family. And I suspect he'll only become more protective over the next few months," Ursula said. She rolled her eyes in disgust.

Her musings stopped Rumple in his tracks. He turned to face the sea witch. "What do you mean?"

Maleficent chuckled in amusement. "You mean to tell me that the all-powerful Dark One didn't notice the slight swell of the queen's stomach?"

"Or the way her insufferable stepdaughter and her prince were surrounding her the entire time?" Cruella added.

His heart stopped. This couldn't be possible. She couldn't be pregnant! He had placed that potion in her library when she had discovered her mother's plans. The most potent infertility potion from a far-off world, on that destroyed all possibilities for a natural child. He'd planned it out so carefully. She would never be able to fulfill the prophecy. He would always remain the most powerful wielder of magic.

"Dark One, are you alright?"

_Daughter of dark and light, created through truest love and two halves of one soul uniting. The child will grow in strength and power, and in her eighteenth year, the Outlaw's daughter will return those to lost to their homes, righting her mother's wrongs. Defender of the realms and defeater of all darkness._

He thought he had destroyed that prophecy. He thought he had removed his nemesis from the playing field. That child could not possibly exist!

"Dark One?"

His eyes narrowed, his hands balled into fists, his mind set. "We need to find the author. We need to get rid of that child."

**-0-**

"What the hell is this damn spell you keep babbling on about?"

Regina's patience was running thin. She'd received a call earlier that morning telling her to come to the pawn shop as fast as she could. Now here she was, listening to Belle go on and on about some prophecy. Robin wrapped his arm around her shoulders in an attempt to keep her calm. It didn't work.

"It's a prophecy about your child," Belle said. She handed a browned leather book to Robin. "I marked the page it's on."

Robin flipped through the aged volume until he came to the page Belle had described. His eyes widened as he read the ancient text. "Is this real?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "Read it."

Robin's eyes turned back to the page. "Daughter of dark and light, created through truest love and two halves of one soul uniting. The child will grow in strength and power, and in her eighteenth year, the Outlaw's daughter will return those lost to their homes, righting her mother's wrongs. Defender of the realms and defeater of all darkness."

The group fell silent. Regina's brain buzzed with different emotions and thoughts as she tried to process what her fiance had just read. She was going to have a little girl. She was going to send them back to the Enchanted Forest. She was going to defeat the darkness. Regina's fingers traced over the tiny bump, the only physical evidence of her baby. A girl-a daughter.

Mary Margaret finally broke the silence. "What exactly does that mean?"

"Well, I think you all know what the first line means," Belle said. "The second line means that the year she turns eighteen she'll take us back to the Enchanted Forest. The third line...well, I had to find another prophecy to understand that one."

The librarian went into the back room and returned with another aged tome, it's cover cracked and worn. She opened it, dust flying off its yellowed pages.

"I found this when I'd knocked over a stack of books," Belle explained. She pointed to a page. "Here it is. Regina, you should read this one."

She took the book from the young woman's hands. "A daughter shall be born to the queen and her soulmate, a thief of renown. The child will grow in a realm not her own until her eighteenth year, when she will restore her mother to her throne in the land of her origin. There, the princess will unite the realms under her and she will defeat the darkness. Her reign will be long and prosperous."

"So, basically, their kid's going to grow up here in Storybrooke, and then on her eighteenth birthday, she'll take us to the Enchanted Forest," Emma surmised.

"Not her birthday specifically," Belle explained. "It could happen any time during the year she turns eighteen."

"Restore her mother to the throne. What does the mean?" David asked. "Snow's the rightful ruler."

Mary Margaret shook her head. She turned to look at Regina, regret and pain in her eyes. "My father's will," she said. "He left his kingdom to Regina, not me."

Regina shook her head in disbelief. "Snow, that can't possibly be true. Your father would never have left his kingdom to me. The only reason he married me was so I could be your mother."

"I have his will in my drawer at home," the princess rebutted. "I kept it from you because I thought my father had made a mistake. I thought I would make a better ruler."

The words stung. She'd been wrongfully dethroned, banished from a kingdom that was rightfully hers. She should be upset. She should be angry. She should be seething with rage. But she's not. She may have been fourteen years ago-before she had Henry. But Henry was what led her to the light, which led her to Robin, which gave her a love she could not have ever imagined. A love powerful enough to overcome any obstacle, even a foolish decision made to spite her mother.

Unfortunately, the others could not read her thoughts. David and Emma put themselves in front of Mary Margaret while Hook and Belle stood on either side. Robin grabbed her arm, ready to hold her back if necessary. She looked around, a little bit bewildered.

"I'm not upset," she said, pulling her arm from Robin's grasp. "For once, I'm glad you were a brat."

Mary Margaret's mouth fell open. "But...but I-"

"Mary Margaret, if you had given me that will, none of us would be here. I would be queen, yes, but I would be miserable. And think about it. You never would have met David, and Emma and Neal wouldn't exist, and if Emma didn't exist then neither would Henry. And if I'd never adopted Henry because Emma and Baelfire didn't fall in love, then I would never have met Robin, and I sure as hell wouldn't be pregnant right now."

The princess' features changed from a look of fear to one of happiness. But it didn't last long. "Gold."

"What?" Regina asked.

"Rumplestiltskin. Your daughter is going to be the most powerful person in all the realms. You don't think he's going to put up a fight?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Dear, I count on him putting up a fight," Regina said. Her hands instinctively splayed over her stomach. "We just need to fight harder."

**-0-**

Rumple was pacing again. He should have know Belle would find that book of prophecies he'd hidden away in the shop. She read anything she could get her hands on. And, of course, she was smart enough to know what it meant. He wished he had burned that book. Now Regina knew. Now they all knew.

"So you're saying Regina's child is going to destroy Dark Magic?" Ursula asked.

"Now," he sneered. "You cannot destroy darkness, just as you cannot destroy light. The girl will merely defeat the darkness. She will conquer all villains and unite the realms."

Maleficent stepped forward. "Regina can't have children. She told me so herself."

"Yes, I know. I was the one who placed that potion in her library in the first place. But, as the three of you know quite well, True Love can break any curse."

"And it's not just any True Love," Ursula added. "He's her soulmate."

"So she put a wrinkle in your plans," Cruella quipped. "But that's all it is: a wrinkle. Darling, just kill the woman, for heaven's sake."

"It's not that simple," Rumple answered. "Besides, now that they know the prophecy, they'll never leave Regina's side. They know that baby is our undoing and they will protect it at all costs. That's why we need the author."

"And why is that?" Maleficent asked.

"Because the author can change the story."

The author could create a world where the villains won and the heroes lost. A world where that baby simply didn't exist. No baby, no problem. Rumplestiltskin would remain the most powerful. He wouldn't be defeated by some brat of a girl, a mere mortal. He was the Dark One! He would be victorious!

**-0-**

Henry had been tracking Isaac for days. It was like the man sensed him nearing and fled every time the boy got close. But this time...this time he would catch him. This time, he would get his family back.

When he'd woken up to discover they were missing he'd nearly lost it. His mothers, his grandparents, his stepfather, Roland and Neal-all gone. He had searched every nook and cranny of the mansion, the loft, even Grannies, in hopes that they had just forgotten him on accident. he wasn't that lucky. It wasn't until he had gone to a local diner outside of town and seen it that he remembered: Heroes and Villains by Isaac Heller.

From there, Henry had tracked Isaac to several meet and greets, only to arrive in time to see the back of Isaac's car. He was currently on a Greyhound bound for New York City. He wouldn't let that con artist get away again. He was going to get his family back, even if it meant sacrificing himself. He wouldn't let them rot away in the cursed book.

The bus finally came to a stop. Henry practically flew down its steps and onto the sidewalk. He pulled out his phone and searched the address for the theatre where the meet and greet was being held. When he'd finally found the information he needed, he was off, a determined look in his eyes and a force in his step. This was going to end now.

It took several turn arounds, but he finally located the event. There were people lining up outside the building, half of them in a costume of some sort. This was going to be a long wait, he thought.

**-0-**

He stumbled blindly through the abundant foliage, his rage clouding his vision and making his thinking foggy. He was going to kill Isaac if it was the last thing he ever did. He'd rip out his heart and crush it in front of the villain's eyes.

He saw said villain in the clearing a few feet away. Henry ran and grabbed the many by the front of his jacket. "Where is she?" he growled.

"Where's who?" Isaac asked, as if he had no idea who Henry was talking about.

"My sister! Where. Is. My. Sister?! What did you do to her?!" It was all Henry could do to not beat the crap out of the guy."

He'd found his mother, who currently thought she was a bandit on the run from her evil stepmother, Snow White. She had no memory of Henry, or Robin, or Roland, or, worst of all, the baby. The bump was gone. She'd laughed when he had told her she was married to Robin Hood and was pregnant with his child, then promptly told him that the only Robin she knew was Robin, Sheriff of Nottingham, and she had no intentions of getting to know him.

"You'll find the Ogre Slayer's wife is with child," Isaac answered. "Might want to start there. Now, if you would kindly let me go..."

Henry gripped the jacket all the harder. "No. You're not going anywhere. You're going to tell me how to undo this mess."

"Kid-"

"I will ship your sorry butt to my evil grandma if you don't help, and if she's anything like my mother was, I have a feeling you won't make it to see tomorrow."

The man shivered with fear. He had crossed paths with Regina before her redemption. He had no interest in meeting another Evil Queen. "Fine."

Henry let go of the former author's jacket, letting his hands relax a little. "What do we have to do?" he asked.

"We need to find Emma. She's the only one who can undo the story." Isaac glanced up at the sky. "And we have to do it fast. When the sun sets, that's it. We'll be stuck here...forever."


	6. Chapter 6

Regina opened her eyes. Henry was standing above her, a lopsided grin on his face. She blinked, trying to clear her head of the fog that had taken up residence there.

"Mom, are you okay?"

Her gaze floated back to her son. He was still wearing that lopsided grin, but as the seconds ticked by and she failed to answer, it began to falter.

"Mom?"

"I'm fine, Henry," she said. "Just...give me a second, sweetheart."

He chuckled and grabbed her hand. "C'mon, Mom. You gotta get up."

Regina groaned as Henry helped pull her to her feet. A sharp stab in her middle reminded her to be cautious of what she was doing. She was more than overjoyed that the little stabs were back. Two weeks was a long time to forget that you had a child...or three.

"Mom, where's Robin?" Henry asked, concern clearly written on his features.

"I don't know, honey, we weren't together-"

She was interrupted when said thief came tearing around the corner, grabbing her and twirling her around and around, laughter spilling from his mouth. She was incredibly dizzy when he finally set her down, but incredibly happy to have him near. The moment was only made sweeter when he leaned down and placed a long, passionate kiss on her lips.

She was smiling from ear to ear when they finally broke apart. "Come on. Let's go find the others."

**o0o**

He had to keep running, there was no time to stop and catch some air to replenish the supply his lungs sorely craved. If he could make it far enough into the forest, someplace where they wouldn't think to look-

"Going somewhere, Dark One?"

Rumple nearly ran into the Dragon Mistress. He should have known it was futile to try and hide from the three villainesses.

"Maleficent," he breathed. His lungs were screaming for oxygen. "Come to make me pay, have you?"

The witch didn't speak. She didn't move. She simply stood there and watched him, as if she wasn't restricted to the confines of time, had no plans to let it trap her. Her eyes never left his face.

"You wanna take a photograph, dearie? Might last longer," he sneered.

"Dark One, you are, at the moment, powerless. It might do you good to remember that," Maleficent warned.

He looked down at the leather cuff on his wrist. Belle had placed it there-she'd woken before he had. It made him furious, to say the least. He was now reduced to running through the woods, trying to outrun a woman who could turn herself into a fire-breathing dragon.

He was pulled from his stewing when Maleficent began to walk towards him, her arms crossed and her face stoic.

"I take off the cuff when you destroy them."

"Destroy whom, dearie?"

"Regina and her child."

**o0o**

They'd found the rest of their family in the Charming's loft, hugging and crying (that was Snow, of course). Henry was glad to have every member of his family back where they belonged, even the ones he couldn't see yet. The little bump was back where it should be.

He remembered the feeling of absolute terror that had run through him when he'd found his mother, all traces of the baby gone. He'd been so afraid Isaac had killed his sister. Henry wasn't sure what he would have done if that had been the case.

"Henry!"

The teen looked up to see his entire family staring at him, a few of them sporting amused smiles.

"What?" he asked. They all began to laugh. "What?"

"Henry, your mother's been calling your name for the past two minutes," Robin told him. "What are you thinking about, son?"

Henry scrunched up his face in annoyance. "Nothing."

His grandmother placed a hand on his shoulder. "Henry, if-"

"I said nothing!" he yelled as he shrugged the gentle hand off.

He stormed up the stairs to the spare bedroom. Like he was going to tell them he was mentally scarred from finding his mother and her not being pregnant anymore. They'd probably just laugh. Grandpa would clap him on the shoulder and tell him not to worry. Emma would squeeze his shoulder and make him cocoa.

But it _had_ scared him, to more than death. That baby was a part of his mother's happy ending. It terrified him to think his mother was going to lose something she so very much deserved. It scared him to think of the pain it would cause her when she woke up and the baby was gone.

Henry heard light footsteps on the metal stairs. His mother appeared in the room, a look concern on her face. "Henry, honey, are you alright?" She walked over and sat beside him on the bed.

He didn't want to tell her-she had enough to worry about. She didn't need his problems on top of her own.

"Mom, there's-"

"It scared you that she was gone, didn't it?"

Henry couldn't help it when his mouth dropped open. How could she have possibly guessed that? Magic. She had to have used her magic and read his mind. There couldn't be any other explanation...could there?

She grabbed his hand. "Sweetheart, it's okay. You can tell me about it, if you want."

"Mom, I..."

He stopped. She was wearing the smile-the smile she gave him when he was scared. The smile she gave him when he'd had a lousy day at school. The smile that was given every night as she tucked him in.

"I was so scared that she was gone for good," he admitted. "That we were going to wake up and she wasn't going to be there...that you'd lose your happy ending again."

He was afraid to look up and see her frowning, but when he finally snuck a glance in her direction, he was surprised to see the smile was still there, now joined by a few tears. She squeezed his hand and pulled him closer to her.

"Henry, you are going to be an _amazing_ older brother," she told him. "And a very overprotective one."

She playfully poked him in the shoulder and he grinned. He couldn't imagine having anyone else for his mother.

**o0o**

Rumple paced the cabin's floor. How was he going to get Regina away from the rest of those idiots long enough for him to dispose of her and her blasted offspring? They protected her like a dragon protects its treasure. If it wasn't Robin and Henry, it was Emma, and if it wasn't Emma, is was Charming and Snow. He couldn't possibly try to attempt it at her office. Her secretary, Charlotte, was constantly in and out of there, dropping off paperwork, or announcing the mayor's appointments.

Her home. There was a ten minute break in Regina's schedule when she went home to drop off some papers before going to pick up her children from school. If he played his cards right, he could be in the house when she arrived home and catch her by surprise, eliminate her and her demon seed, and leave without anyone being the wiser.

Then, when he showed the evidence to Maleficent, she would take this damn bracelet off and he could finally enact his plans to take over the town. With Regina gone, the heroes would lack their brains and power, leaving them weak and giving Rumple the perfect chance to obliterate them.

The heroes would fall. The Dark One would rise. There would be nothing to stop the darkness.

**o0o**

Her hand was starting to cramp. Regina could swear she'd signed a million different bills and papers since she'd arrived at her office this morning. She finally put down her pen and grabbed her purse from off of the floor beside her, standing and swiftly walking out the office door. She waved goodbye to Charlotte and left the Town Hall.

She smiled to herself as she drove home. She was taking Henry and Roland straight from school to the hospital so they could finally "meet" their little two boys had practically begged her to take them along to her doctor's appointment, pulling out puppy dog eyes and pouts that would melt even the strictest dictator's resolve. She'd happily agreed.

She pulled into the driveway and parked her car, quickly jumping out and walking swiftly to the front door. She had exactly ten minutes before she had to go pick up her boys and another ten minutes to get to the hospital on time for her appointment.

Regina smiled as she slid her key into the door. She couldn't wait to see their faces when Whale did the ultrasound. Henry would smile, and Roland would giggle. She opened the door and walked inside, quickly dropping her purse in the foyer. A note on the hall table caught her attention.

She shrugged off her coat as she walked across the foyer to the table. She picked up the note and frowned.

_Turn around._

The last thing she'd expected to see when she finally did turn was Rumplestiltskin, his fingers reaching for her throat.


End file.
